News: Currahees conduct mass casualty exercise

U.S. Army Pfc. Katie Dove, a combat medic with Charlie Company, 801st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division assists in the loading of a simulated casualty during a mass casualty exercise at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Khost province, Afghanistan, Aug. 6, 2013. The simulated casualty is taken from the casualty collection point vicinity of the point of injury to the nearby medical treatment facility for follow on triage and treatment. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Kamil Sztalkoper/Released)

“Today we are testing the functionality and the ability to react under the most austere situation possible on the FOB,” said Staff Sgt. Marcus Freeman, a combat medic, with Charlie Company, 801st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div.

The mass casualty exercise featured 15 simulated casualties with a variety of injuries and a burning downed aircraft, involving numerous agencies and Army units on Forward Operating Base Salerno.

“We had a culmination of multiple events,” said Freeman, “we had a simulation of a downed plane, with multiple casualties, working alongside the FOB QRF, the Salerno fire department, the 28th Combat Support Hospital, and the medics with 801st BSB.”

The exercise was a great opportunity for refinement of individual skills sets.

“Through the mass casualty event the medics are put through different scenarios, they have to deal with patients with different types of injuries, they have to go through the decision making process, how to properly prioritize patients so that they are treated in a timely manner,” said Lt. Col. Gavin Lawrence, commander of the 801st BSB, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div.

“So it gives them the confidence to deal with the various types of injuries they could deal with in a real life scenario and how to properly treat and assess casualties,” added Lawrence.

The training exercise was also used as a validation event for the Currahee’s medical training that they received back at Fort Campbell, Ky., and at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.

“The personnel deploying here for the first time have been training hard in the rear, sharpening and honing their skills; it is definitely an eye opener for them and for us to see them apply everything that they have learned over the long and grueling months of training to finally see it all pay off and to see that they are more than capable to treat and save a life,” explained Freeman.

In addition to evaluating the individual readiness level of the combat medics, physicians and providers, the training event focused on something much bigger.

“It is absolutely important to build confidence in our ability to deal with mass casualty events; our Soldiers that operate out forward can operate with absolute confidence because they know if they get hurt there is going to be a skilled medic or skilled physician that is going to take care of them,” said Lawrence.

The mass casualty event is one of the most complex situations that a brigade’s medical treatment facility can potentially face, with practice being essential to the overall proficiency and effectiveness.

“You can never be too ready to do this, which is why we have MASCAL rehearsals,” said 1st Lt. Brandon Jackson, the executive officer for Charlie Company, 801st BSB, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div. “Rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal is always the key to success, especially when it comes to a MASCAL situation.”

The training allowed newer Soldiers to learn other important aspects of medical treatment that are just as necessary.

“Training like this is important because we don’t get a lot of MASCALs and when we do get them, it is nice to be well trained on them to be fresh with what’s going on,” said Spc. Mark Henning, a combat medic with Charlie Company, 801st BSB, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div. “You do learn a lot on the small things, like how to communicate with each other.”